Line-guide for fishing-reels.



w. A. AUSTIN.

LINE GUIDE FOR FISHING RBELS.

APPLICATION TILED D110. 7, 1908.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

I w 2 R M 1 WILL A. AUSTIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

LINE-GUIDE FOR FISHING-REELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed December 7, 1908. Serial No. 468,696.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILL A. Ausrin, a citizenv of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 1 Line-Guides for Fishing-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what may be termed line-guides for fishingreels, my object being to produce a device of this charactor for useupon the thumb of the hand holdin the rod, by which the person handlingt e rod can effect a uniform and even distribution of the line on thereel as the former is wound up, by simply moving his thumb from side toside, and from which the line can be instantly freed by simply drawingthe thumb back away from the reel and as easily rengaged by reversingthe motion of the thumb. lVith a device of this character an even anduniform winding of the line can be eflected without the thumb becomingcramped or tired, as is the case where the operator guides the linebetween his thumb and index finger, the method usually resorted to, andby which method the line frequently piles up in places and becomesentangled,especially when a game fish has been hooked.

A further object is to produce a device of this character embodying asplit thimble of resilient material so that it may fit thumbs of varioussizes, and which is of simple, strong, durable and cheap construction.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and organization hereinafter describedand claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood, reference isto be had to the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure l, is a view of a fragment of a fishing rod eqttipped with a reeland line, and also discloses a hand supporting. the rod, with the thumbin operative relation .to the line and equipped with a line-guideembodying my invention. Fig.2, is an enlarged end view of theline-guide. Fig. 3, is an inverted plan view of the line-guide. Fig. 4,is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 2. Fig. 5, is an end view of amodified form of the line-guide. Fig.6, is an enlarged end view of theline-guide equipped with an agate bearing; the thimble portion of thedeviceextending at right-angles to the passage,

The line-guide consists of a preferably split thimble 1, formed of astrip or ribbon of the latter with passage 3. By reversing the movementof the thumb the line-guide is instantly withdrawn from engagement withthe line. always under perfect control of the operator and that theline-guide is never in engagement with it except when the line is beinreeled in, as the rod is usually held and manipulated by the other handin making a cast. In the preferred construction the walls of thepassage, articularly the side walls are bowed toward each other betweentheir ends to produce flaring ends 5, for the passage and thus permitthe line to extend therethrough in a substantially straight lineirrespective of whether the passage is disposed parallel with or at anangle to the line as indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 4, itbeing obvious'that such latter relation must exist when the thumb is atone extremity or the other of the horizontal sweep it is caused to maketo eflect a substantially uniform and even distribution of the line fromone head or end of the reel to the other. By thus flaring each end ofthe passage the line is permitted to extend through it without any orbut little deflection from a straight course to the reel, and is notsubjected to any undesirable friction or abrasion tendin to weaken orbreak it, it being of course un er- .It will thus be seen that the lineis.

stood that the walls of the passage must be .guide of this type in whicht e passage shall extend at an an le .to the passage of the thimble andthus e susce tib e of use on the index finger of the ban such fin erbeing held over the rod and for- Ward 0 the --reel and alternatelyextended and contracted cross-wise of the hue to effect an even anduniform winding thereof upon the reel.

From the above description it will be aparent that I have reduced itline-guide for shing reels, emb ying the features of advantageenumerated as desirable and which is susceptible of change in minorparticulars without departin from the principle of construction involveHaving thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A line-guide for fishing-reels, comprisholding the rod,.

beam

provided with a smooth passage havm a mouth at one side which extendsfor the ull length ofthe passage and which is of outwardly flarin formto facilitate the entrance of the me laterally into the passage.

2. A lineuide for fishing reels, com llS- ing a split thimble and-a lugprojecting mm the outer side thereof and provided with a smooth assa ehaving at one'side and for its full engt an outwardl -flarin mouth andalso having its side wal s bowe toward each other between their ends.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

. WILL A. AUSTIN. Witnesses: 1 L

CHAS. TIEDERMAN, G. Y. THORPE.

